On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations (UN) Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Coordinator, Raisedon Zenenga met with leaders and representatives of political parties to hear their perspectives on the unfolding electoral process, UNSMIL said in a statement.
The meeting came as part of UNSMIL’s “ongoing engagement with Libyan actors. Participants expressed the importance of holding elections to fulfil the aspirations of the Libyan people of a stable country. Some shared their concerns on the need for greater inclusivity in the electoral framework and the importance of building consensus, with the assistance of the UN and international partners,” the statement noted.
The participants affirmed the need to ensure acceptance of the election results by all, as well as the need to ensure the security of candidates and voters.
Zenenga reaffirmed the important role of political parties in building a democratic political system in Libya. He reiterated that UNSMIL’s priority is to help hold elections that unite Libyans, deliver stability, and produce legitimate institutions acceptable to all Libyans.
Last week, the High National Electoral Committee (HNEC) announced the opening of the registration for the elections on Monday, and the beginning of the voter card distribution process.
HNEC Head, Emad Al-Din Al-Sayeh announced that the deadline for applications for the Presidential election was 22 November, and 7 December for the Parliamentary elections.
“The goal of Libya’s elections is to unify state institutions, and the basic guarantees for it are that HNEC is an independent and impartial body that is not subject to any political party,” he told Russia’s Sputnik news agency.
He stressed that the commission is “a technical body” specialized in implementing the electoral laws referred to it by the legislative authority, represented by the Libyan Parliament.
Regarding the mechanism by which Libya’s elections will be monitored, he said that “local and international organizations are invited to observe the elections scheduled for 24 December this year.”
Notably, Libya’s Parliament approved a law for Parliamentary elections to take place a month after the planned Presidential elections.